Sunday, April 24, 2011

Ticket to Heaven is always a 'Returnable Ticket'

If a person goes to a country on "Temporary Visa" then that person can stay for a certain limited period only into that country. After the expiry of the visa that person has to return back, otherwise that person is deported back & the stay of that person in that country is considered illegal.

As per the hindu religion, when a person does the good & bad karmas in life then as a result, that person goes to heaven (heavenly planet of Indra) or hell to enjoy the fruits of those karmas over there. But the period of stay in this heaven or hell is determined by the quantity & quality of good & bad karmas done in one's life. After enjoying the good or bad results of the karmas in the heaven or hell, one has to return back to this earth to take birth again. On this earth a person again does good & bad karmas in life & again goes to heaven or hell to enjoy the fruits of those karmas & again returns back to this earth after enjoying those good & bad fruits over there. In this way this perpetual cycle of birth & death goes on for that person. It is very clear that there is no permanent stay in the heaven & it's temporary only. One can live over there just for the time which is determined by his good karmas done on this earth.

The above said perpetual cycle of birth & death goes on for a normal person who has not understood & have faith in God. As per Bhagwat Gita beyond this heaven is the abode of God where life is permanent. Once a person gets permission to live in that Godly abode then that person need not come back to this earth to suffer pain & sorrow in life i.e. one does not have to take rebirth again on this earth. Once God allows a person to stay in His abode then that person is relieved of the cycle of birth & death. That person living in God's abode achieves immortality & permanent bliss. Below are few verses of Bhagwat Gita which explain that only.

"trai-vidya mam soma-pah puta-papa
yajnair istva svar-gatim prarthayante
te punyam asadya surendra-lokam
asnanti divyan divi deva-bhogan" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Nine verse 20)

"Lord Sri Krishna said: Those who study the Vedas and drink the soma juice, seeking the heavenly planets, worship Me indirectly. Purified of sinful reactions, they take birth on the pious, heavenly planet of Indra, where they enjoy godly delights."

"te tam bhuktva svarga-lokam visalam
ksine punye martya-lokam vishanti
evam trayi-dharmam anuprapanna
gatagatam kama-kama labhante" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Nine verse 21)

"Lord Sri Krishna said: When they have thus enjoyed vast heavenly sense pleasures and the results of their pious activities are exhausted, they return to this mortal planet (earth) again. Thus those who seek sense enjoyments by adhering to the principles of the three Vedas achieve only repeated birth and death."

"yanti deva-vrata devan
pitrn yanti pitr-vratah
bhutani yanti bhutejya
yanti mad-yajino ’pi mam" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Nine verse 25)

"Lord Sri Krishna said: Those who worship the demigods will take birth among the demigods; those who worship the ancestors go to the ancestors; those who worship ghosts and spirits will take birth among such beings; and those who worship Me (Lord Sri Krishna) will live with Me."

"yat karosi yad asnasi
yaj juhosi dadasi yat
yat tapasyasi kaunteya
tat kurusva mad-arpanam" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Nine verse 27)

"Lord Sri Krishna said: Whatever you do, whatever you eat, whatever you offer or give away, and whatever austerities you perform—do that, O Arjuna, as an offering to Me (Lord Sri Krishna)."


"subhasubha-phalair evam
moksyase karma-bandhanaih
sannyasa-yoga-yuktatma
vimukto mam upaisyasi" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Nine verse 28)

"Lord Sri Krishna said: In this way you will be freed from bondage to work (karmas) and its auspicious and inauspicious results. With your mind fixed on Me (Lord Sri Krishna) in this principle of renunciation, you will be liberated and come to Me."

So Let's pray to God (Lord Sri Krishna) always in life so that we can go to God's abode than going to heaven as we shall need to take rebirth after going to heaven while we shall get permanent life in God's abode. Let's pray to God always so that He can bless us in this & after this life. Loving & praying to God only can save us from the cycles of birth & death & from all types of miseries in life.

Jai Sri Krishna

Sunday, April 17, 2011

Don't Judge the God Vaguely

"Once a person came to a city & asked another person standing at the crossroads: "Sir, Can you let me know the house of Mr. Sharma?" "That person pointed in front & said, look at that house, in front of which a Cow is standing. That is the house of Mr. Sharma," The first person went away. He returned after a few days and was bewildered to find that now no Cow was standing in front of the house. He again asked a person: "Pl. tell me which is the house of Mr. Sharma?" That person replied: "See that house with number 23, which is yellow in color, is two story's built & which is built in marble stone - that is Mr. Sharma's house." Since that time he never had any confusion & never forgot the house of Mr. Sharma."

Similarly the great ancient scriptures speak of God as the Supreme Origin of the universe. But this is not enough. For, there are times when there is no creation at all but God still exists. Hence this is not a one line definition of God. So we cannot define the God vaguely that God is such & such. God is having infinite qualities which cannot be described in a few lines. That's the reason that some look on the God as amazing, some describe Him as amazing, and some hear of God as amazing, while others, even after hearing about Him, cannot understand Him at all.

Bhagwat Gita describes the God as unborn, eternal, ever-existing and primeval. God is never born nor dies at any time. God is manifest & un-manifest both i.e. He is there before the creation & also present during the creation. He is omniscient (knows everything), omnipresent (who is present everywhere), omnipotent (who is having all the powers & is all powerful), imperishable & indestructible. He is invisible, inconceivable and immutable. He is having supernatural powers. He is Truth Absolute, Knowledge Absolute and is Infinite. He is everlasting, present everywhere, unchangeable, immovable and eternally the same. So here are some of the qualities of God described.

Below are few verses of Bhagwat Gita which describe these qualities of God.

"maya tatam idam sarvam
jagad avyakta-murtina
mat-sthani sarva-bhutani
na chaham tesv avasthitah" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Nine verse 4)

"Sri Krishna said: By Me, in My un-manifested form, this entire universe is pervaded. All beings are in Me, but I am not in them."

"avyaktadini bhutani
vyakta-madhyani bharata
avyakta-nidhanany eva
tatra ka paridevana" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Two verse 28)

"Sri Krishna said: All created beings are un-manifest in their beginning, manifest in their interim state, and un-manifest again when annihilated. So what need is there for lamentation?"

"athakasa-sthito nityam
vayuh sarvatra-go mahan
tatha sarvani bhutani
mat-sthanity upadharaya" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Nine verse 6)


 "Sri Krishna said: Understand that just as the mighty wind, blowing everywhere, rests always in the sky, so do all created beings rest in Me (Universal Soul)."

So above are described few qualities of God as told in Bhagwat Gita. Yet these are few only while God is having Infinite in nature & Infinite in qualities. So let's bow to & pray to such an Infinite God.


Jai Sri Krishna

Sunday, April 10, 2011

Defeatism & Victory in Life

How many times in your life you have felt yourself depressed, de-motivated & dejected? How many times you have felt yourself defeated in life? If one feels like a defeated person in life then the battle of life is lost for that person. So we should not let our mind delve into the state of depression, de-motivation & dejection. We should never let our mind feel defeated as then there is no positive meaning of life. You can never succeed & be victorious in life if you feel yourself defeated at mind.

In the ancient Kurukshetra war, "Arjuna" the great disciple of "Lord Sri Krishna" also came into such a de-motivated & dejected state of mind. In that war "Arjuna" refused to do his duty of fighting a righteous battle as he got infatuated & started thinking of his enemies as his own near & dear ones. His mind became week & highly de-motivated. He told his master "Lord Sri Krishna" that he is going away from the war & do not want to fight on the battle field. Arjuna's mental health became weak & he got deeply depressed. To overcome his disciple Arjuna's depression & to motivate him to fight a righteous war, "Lord Sri Krishna" gave the great teachings of "Bhagwat Gita" to his disciple "Arjuna". After listening to all these great teachings, Arjuna's mental health became well & he became motivated & energetic to fight the war. Below are verses of Bhagwat Gita which shows how Arjuna became de-motivated & how he refused to do his duty of fighting a righteous war.

"tatrapasyat sthitan parthah
pitrn atha pitamahan
acharyan matulan bhratrn
putran pautran sakhims tatha
svasuran suhridas chaiva
senayor ubhayor api" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter One verse 26)

"Now Arjuna saw stationed there in the midst of the both armies, his fathers, grandfathers, teachers, maternal uncles, brothers, sons, grandsons, friends, and his fathers-in-law and well-wishers as well."

"tan samiksya sa kaunteyah
sarvan bandhun avasthitan
kripaya parayavisto
visidann idam abravit" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter One verse 27)

"Seeing all these relations present there, the son of Kunti, Arjuna was overwhelmed with extreme compassion and spoke these words in sadness."

"arjuna uvacha
drstvemam sva-janam krishna
yuyutsum samupasthitam
sidanti mama gatrani
mukham cha parisusyati" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter One verse 28)

"Arjuna said: Krishna, at the sight of these friends and relatives present before me in such a fighting spirit, my limbs give away, my body quivering and my mouth is parched."

"vepathus cha sarire me
roma-harsas cha jayate
gandivam sramsate hastat
tvak chaiva paridahyate" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter One verse 29)

"My complete body shakes & my hair stands on end. The bow Gandiva is slipping from my hand, and my skin is burning."

"na cha saknomy avasthatum
bhramativa cha me manah
nimittani cha pasyami
viparitani keshava" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter One verse 30)

"My mind is reeling & I am now unable able to stand here any longer. I see the omens also inauspicious; only causes of misfortune, O Krishna, killer of the Keshi demon."

"sanjaya uvacha
evam uktvarjunah sankhye
rathopastha upavisat
visrjya sa-saram chapam
soka-samvigna-manasah" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter One verse 46)

"Sanjaya said: Arjuna, having thus spoken on the battlefield, cast aside his bow and arrows and sat down on the chariot, his mind overwhelmed with grief."

"sanjaya uvacha
evam uktva hrishikesham
gudakeshah parantapah
na yotsya iti govindam
uktva tusnim babhuva ha" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Two verse 9)

"Sanjaya said: O King, having spoken thus to Sri Krishna, Arjuna, again said to Krishna, “Hey Govinda, I shall not fight,” and fell silent."

Below are verses of Bhagwat Gita in which Lord Krishna gave sermon to Arjuna to do his duty of fighting a just & righteous war & motivated his mind.

"sreyan sva-dharmo vigunah
para-dharmat sv-anusthitat
sva-dharme nidhanam sreyah
para-dharmo bhayavahah" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Three verse 35)

"Lord Sri Krishna said: It is far better to discharge one’s prescribed duties, even though faultily, than another’s duties perfectly. Destruction in the course of performing one’s own duty is better than engaging in another’s duties, for to follow another’s path is dangerous."

"karmany evadhikaras te
ma phalesu kadachana
ma karma-phala-hetur bhur
ma te sango ’stv akarmani" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Two verse 47)

"Lord Sri Krishna said: You have a right to perform your prescribed duty, but you are not entitled to the fruits of action. Never consider yourself the cause of the results of your activities, and never be attached to not doing your duty."

"yoga-sthah kuru karmani
sangam tyaktva dhananjaya
siddhy-asiddhyoh samo bhutva
samatvam yoga ucyate" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Two verse 48)

"Lord Sri Krishna said: Perform your duty equi-poised, O Arjuna, abandoning all attachment to success or failure. Such equanimity is called yoga."

By the teachings of Lord Krishna, weakness of mind of Arjuna was gone & he became motivated. Below is a verse of Bhagwat Gita in which Arjuna acknowledges that his weakness of mind has gone & that he is now motivated to do his duty of fighting a just & righteous war.

"arjuna uvacha
nasto mohah smritir labdha
tvat-prasadan mayacyuta
sthito ’smi gata-sandehah
karisye vachanam tava" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Eighteen verse 73)

"Arjuna said: O Lord Sri Krishna, my illusion is now gone. I have regained my memory by Your grace. I am now firm and free from doubt and am prepared to act according to Your instructions."

So it is seen above, how the defeated & de-motivated mind of Arjuna became good & motivated by the teachings of Bhagwat Gita. Similarly we can also come out of the state of depression, de-motivation & dejection by reading the teachings of Bhagwat Gita. These teachings show us how to do our duty properly & how to lead a good life. So let's all follow the great teachings of Bhagwat Gita as told by Lord Sri Krishna Himself to Arjuna. These teachings are as much relevant in fast day to day life of ours today as these were in ancient times.



Jai Sri Krishna

Sunday, April 03, 2011

One God in All Religions

God is one but different religions & faiths of the world depict Him in different names & forms. People call God by the different names like Sri Ram, Sri Krishna, Gobind, Shiva, Waheguru, Allah, Jesus etc.The great Indian saint of Bengal, Sri Ramakrishna Paramhansa also saw & taught about one God in all religions. As per him:

"I see people who talk about religion, constantly quarrelling with one another. Hindus, Mussalmans, Brahmos, Shaktas, Vaishnavas, Shaivas, all quarrel with one another. They haven't the intelligence to understand that He who is called Krishna is also Shiva and the Primal Shakti, and that it is He, again, who is called Jesus and Allah. "There is only one Rama and He has a thousand names.". Truth is one; it is only called by different names. All people are seeking the same Truth; the disagreement is due to differences in climate, temperament, and names. Everyone is going toward God. They will all realize Him if they have sincerity and longing of heart."

In Bhagwat Gita Chapter Ten, Lord Krishna also says that He is the source of all beings & of different gods. Not even that as per Lord Krishna, all these universes & creations spring from but a spark of His splendor only. As per Him, He is seated in hearts of all living entities. He Himself is Lord Vishnu, Lord Shiva & Lord Brahma. He Himself is Sun, Moon, Wind & Fire. He Himself is Rama God too. He Himself is Lord of wealth - Kubera. He Himself is Spiritual word Om. He Himself is river Ganges. Among women He Himself is manifested as Goddess of fortune (Lakshmi), Goddess of wisdom (Saraswati) & other Goddesses of fame, memory, intelligence, steadfastness and patience. As per Lord Krishna His opulence is limitless.

Hindus likewise believe in only one God. They glorify and praise His thousands of qualities. For example when God is love, He is symbolically represented by Lord Krishna, God as virtue is represented by lord Rama, God as power is represented by Lord Hanuman, God as wisdom is represented by Goddess Saraswati etc. etc. So these different aspects of Gods represent spirituality, purity, power etc. of the Ultimate One who is endless truth and bliss.



Below are some verses from Bhagwat Gita which explain about various manifestations of One Supreme God.

"aham atma gudakesha
sarva-bhutasaya-sthitah
aham adis cha madhyam cha
bhutanam anta eva cha" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Ten verse 20)

"Sri Krishna said: I am the Super Soul, O Arjuna, seated in the hearts of all living entities. I am the beginning, the middle and the end of all beings."

"adityanam aham vishnur
jyotisam ravir amsuman
maricir marutam asmi
nakshatranam aham sasi" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Ten verse 21)

"Sri Krishna said: Of the Adityas I am Vishnu, of lights I am the radiant Sun, of the Maruts I am Marici, and among the stars I am the Moon."

"rudranam sankaras chasmi
vitteso yaksha-rakshasam
vasunam pavakas chasmi
meruh sikharinam aham" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Ten verse 23)

"Sri Krishna said: Of all the Rudras I am Lord Shiva, of the Yakshas and Rakshasas I am the Lord of wealth [Kubera], of the Vasus I am fire [Agni], and of mountains I am Meru."

"pavanah pavatam asmi
ramah shastra-bhrtam aham
jhasanam makaras chasmi
srotasam asmi jahnavi" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Ten verse 31)

"Sri Krishna said: Of purifiers I am the Wind, of the wielders of weapons I am Rama, of fishes I am the shark, and of flowing rivers I am the Ganges."

"yac chapi sarva-bhutanam
bijam tad aham arjuna
na tad asti vina yat syan
maya bhutam characharam" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Ten verse 39)

"Sri Krishna said: Furthermore, O Arjuna, I am the generating seed of all existences. There is no being—moving or nonmoving—that can exist without Me."

"yad yad vibhutimat sattvam
srimad urjitam eva va
tat tad evavagaccha tvam
mama tejo-’msa-sambhavam" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Ten verse 41)

"Sri Krishna said: Know that all opulent, beautiful and glorious creations spring from but a spark of My splendor."

"atha va bahunaitena
kim jnatena tavarjuna
vistabhyaham idam krtsnam
ekamsena sthito jagat" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Ten verse 42)

"Sri Krishna said: But what need is there, Arjuna, for all this detailed knowledge? With a single fragment of Myself I pervade and support this entire universe."

So lets see One God in all human beings & in all the religions. We should not fight on the basis of religion & understand the view point of different people in different religions.

Jai Shri Krishna